


The Chi

by Citron0



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Almost written exclusively from hours of midnight to 5 am everynight for the past 3-4 days, Gen, born from a daydream, i'm in love with it, writing this instead of sleeping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:33:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29040183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Citron0/pseuds/Citron0
Summary: Lloyd gets captured by the Oni once they learn whose kid he is. He tries to adjust to living in the husk of aparallel worldwith family that he'd rather not have, but kind of needs.Other than that, Emperor Garmadon teamed up with the Oni's plan to invade Ninjago and acts as a figurehead until his soul wakes up from a year long sleep.
Comments: 46
Kudos: 19
Collections: The_Newbie's Ninjago Fanfic Collection





	1. Out of the Frying Pan

**Author's Note:**

> In medias res, h*ck yeah!

_“He’s the grandson of the first spinjitzu master?” The Omega made a silent gesture with his hands causing the tentacles to grab him one limb at a time. While he could leave Garmadon to his own devices, a child needed supervision and care. Garmadon had most of his soul suppressed and it wouldn’t be fully released until at least a year passed: he was an inadequate mentor for the boy until then. If he was inadequate, then the responsibility of it falls to the tribe, therefore him._

_“Father, **why** did you tell him that?” Lloyd wanted to be angry, but all he could emote was raw panic._

_Garmadon, to his credit, was incredibly calm, all things considered, “I never cared for Ninjago, what I want is for you to be safe, and that can only happen if you are away from Ninjago.” He was getting him out of the way, where those_ foolish morals _of his couldn’t force him to throw himself into danger as he always had, Lloyd surmised._

_“You belong amongst the Oni as your grandfather had.”_

_“I-,” one of the Oni soldiers from behind him pressed a bunch of pressure points causing him to go limp._

_“No, I can’t let you take Ninja-,”_

_“Sleep, young Oni, you’ll be home when you wake.”_

_Something whacked the back of his neck, “-go.”_

* * *

He sat up in the cot of his tent. How many days had it been since he was captured? The sky was always black with that fog, there was no day or night cycle here, wherever ‘here’ was. His circadian rhythm was set to the arbitrary mealtimes. He rubbed the horn nubs that sat above and more inward to his temples, running his tongue over his longer canines. They’ve been growing steadily in each passing week.

He covered the growths with his bangs hoping his great-grandfather wouldn’t ever come to see them, if he learned he was becoming more Oni the longer he stayed in the miasma, he’d never be allowed to leave it.

The second time he was exposed to it, it didn’t hurt as nearly as much as the first time. After a whole day in it, the pain disappeared completely; his body adjusted to it by then, it seemed.

His nails naturally grew sharper and more angular since he got there, he desperately wanted to file them down before returning to Ninjago—if it was possible to return. Lloyd knew Omega could take him back, but he’d never do it willingly, at least, not as things are now. His father betrayed Ninjago to join sides with the Oni, **why**? Family? Obligation? A consequence of the resurrection method?

He let out an inhuman growl from deep in his throat as he fought the tears. He just wanted to go home, to a place where there are trees instead of megafauna mushrooms, and grass that wasn’t purple.

* * *

_On the first day he arrived at the camp, he was far more adamant about demanding that he was returned home to Ninjago._

_Admittedly, it was due to a fear that he was going to die from not being Oni enough, though voicing that seemed to make the Omega more assured in his decision to take him._

_“Not Oni enough?” He asked watching him with glowing violet eyes. The first adaptation was, predictably, his eyes. As they adjusted to the darker/nonexistent lighting, colors became somewhat pale and/or desaturated. The illumination in exchange was almost equal to the soft ambience of a lantern or if the full moon was thrice as bright. Worth it in dark conditions like these, by Oni custom, it’s respectful to not look whoever is talking to them in the eye: focus tends to be on the hands or necklaces or on their weapons/tools that they currently have in hand. Although none of that had been explained to Lloyd, so he squinted at the drastic change in luminance._

_“I- yeah, I’m half human—I think? N-not to mention dragon.” The quarter-plus-Oni squirmed in his gaze. [Really, he was 33% Oni and 17% dragon, Garmadon was ⅔ Oni and ⅓ dragon; Wu ⅓Oni and ⅔dragon]_

_“I am aware of your hybrid status, it changes nothing. You were Oni enough to pass through the fires and Oni enough to breathe in the miasma.”_

_“I still don’t- I don’t belong here, please take me home, sir,” he bowed, hoping it would sell it._

_“You are Oni and my descendant.”_

_“What?”_

_“The first spinjitzu master was my son.”_

_“That’s insane,” he commented between strained breaths._

_“You look like how he did when he was your age. Though, perhaps it is the hair color that reminds me of him; you look so much like Garmadon. Ignoring the teeth.” Lloyd couldn’t fight back his coughs any longer._

_“What’s wrong?”_

_“The fog, it hurts.”_

_“Why are you covering your mouth?”_

_He slowly lowered his hands, hoping the saliva and mucous on them wouldn’t be too noticeable, “I know I’m not sick, but I don’t want to spray you.”_

_The Omega hummed, but was soon distracted by a thought, “Oh, speaking of tongues, I need to do this.” He bonked Lloyd on the head with his staff._

_“(Ow!)” Lloyd yelped in another language._

_“(What?)” He felt the word in his mouth, it was new according to his ears but his mind, through some mystical force, was familiar with it. It would take around half an hour for it to be properly settled in without the language overriding issue._

_“(Ninjargon isn’t the native tongue of the Oni, I have bestowed it to you, I’m not sure how well you’ll be able to access this knowledge or even if you can willingly switch between them. Try to say something.)”_

_“(I-,)” he focused on the memories of previous conversations but the words he heard weren’t in Ninjargon at all. His name wouldn’t have an equivalent in Oni, right? What about other things that they didn’t have, like phones, certain foods or game consoles?_

_“Lloyd,” he had to fight the Oni language that tried to invade his speech, “(li-)kes cherry candy.” He laughed in relief, he did it!_

_‘(Oh, thank goodness!)’_

_“Wh- (do you think I can eat Oni foods?)”_

_“(I don’t see why not, we are obligate omnivores like humans. Dragons are carnivores if that’s what you’re worried about.)”_

_“(I-,)” no, he wanted to talk in Ninjargon not Ōnish, “It’s not that, I just thought it was going to be that condensed evil stuff that my dad ate before, when I was kidnapped,”_

_It could benefit him to humor his human half’s desires by speaking in Ninjargon as well, “You were kidnapped?”_

_“It happens more often than I prefer, but yes.”_

_“You should stay with your tribe, young one,”_

_‘(Lloyd was his name, he said?)’_

_“Lloyd, you’re safer with us.”_

_Even if that were true, which it isn’t, he couldn’t, “I can’t-,” Lloyd confessed, “Ninjago needs me—me and my friends to protect it, I can’t just stay here. I, please, I need to go home!”_

_“Oh, Lloyd, you already are.”_

* * *

He rubbed the tears out of his eyes as his feet moved on their own to the crop field the Oni were cultivating.

“(Good morning,) Lloyd!” Called an Oni with reddish orange hair that could only remind him of the color of wood fires. She was apparently a cousin of his, a relatively close yet still distant cousin, but a cousin nonetheless, her name, Koko, she gave it to herself in the same way Mystaké did. [His half first cousin, once removed))

“(Morning.)” He called back in Ōnish, without thinking. Koko was the hair stylist of her tribe. With all the fur that the Oni seemed to have, she took great pride in her grooming ability to get out bugs and whatever else found its way inside. She was all over him since he returned after attempting to run away, only to come back with alien ticks in his hair; it didn’t help that she was old enough to be his mom.

> _His great-grandfather scolded him for doing that so unprepared, although not for the act of running off itself. He wouldn’t know it because his concept of time was quickly degrading, but it happened on his fifth day._
> 
> _“(Were you even sure how to get back?)”_
> 
> _“I made sure to sort of memorize the turns I made?” His lungs didn’t hurt at all when re-entered the smoky mist._
> 
> _“(You brought nothing with you, no supplies, no anything to help you. I thought you were skilled, you should know this. Obviously, you should start taking lessons with the other children.)”_
> 
> _“I wasn’t thinking, I’m sorry, Great-grandfather. I’m just really homesick.”_
> 
> _“Will you not do this again if I get you something from Ninjago?” The Omega said in Ninjargon for the first time in their conversation._
> 
> _“You’d do that?”_
> 
> _“You need to get used to here, what do you want?”_
> 
> _“I don’t know,” he found himself saying, “I guess, um, some camping stuff like tents and a cot or something? With a tent being inside it would almost be like being in a little pocket of Ninjago, kinda?”_
> 
> _“(If it helps you, I’ll look for it.)”_
> 
> _“(Thank you.)”_

“Koko,” he whined, “You don’t have to groom me every day, I have that fish comb you gave me.”

“I want to, (Cousin), you need someone to look after you. I know how much you like it,” she scratched his mane playfully, he could fight off the giggles well enough, “st-stop it, I’m ticklish!”

Koko’s hands ran over his horn nubs which felt really nice, scared him stiff as she took in what she felt.

“Please don’t tell Great-grandfather,” his eyes wide from both the smog and the shock.

“Why not?”

“He’ll use it as an excuse to keep me here forever.”

“You shouldn’t worry about that, we’re nomadic, after the ground can’t grow good enough crops, we’ll pack up and move somewhere else, rinse repeat.”

“That’s not what I meant, I meant ‘not in Ninjago!’”

She rubbed his growing horns in such a way that made his shoulder slump as he fell into her, ‘All the more reason not to tell him,’ he confirmed to himself.

“Still homesick, Lloyd?” She inquired patiently, continuing to soothe his aching horn growths. He wasn’t paying too much attention to them before, but the muscles around them were so tight from the stretching.

“I don’t think I can ever stop being homesick,” he admitted with a sigh.

“You’ll be okay one day, this is all new to you, it must be so hard to get used to. At least you have family here.” Koko had always wanted children but could never birth any herself.

“I guess so,” not that that was expressly a good thing.

She kissed the raised bumps on his skull like a mother would to a boo-boo, he assumed; his mother was never around to do that, she abandoned him. He hugged her trying to not think of how Misako never stuck around to be there for him. She was warm and fuzzy, like a teddy bear with a hot pack in it. She hugged back.

“I came out here to get more of those blue pumpkin thingies.” The outside looked like a blue pumpkin, but the inside was pinkish maroon and was both tart and starchy. Lloyd found himself liking the blue raspberry-esque mixed with a sweet potato type flavor it had. They ate it with six-limbed crab things that reminded him of shrimp and rabbit almost equally. From what he could tell, those crabs were like the cockroaches of this world/realm: abundant and drawn to warmth.

They had to force him to eat it when he first arrived, which was embarrassing afterwards. As the clan huddled around to eat, they’d watch him in the corner of their eyes, all wondering if he was going to throw another fit each time they introduced a new food object into his diet.

“What’s this?” He observed the purple glass made from Oni magic carefully. The moment he spoke, the nearest couple of Oni were already forcing it into his mouth.

“What the-! **Quit it**!” The two of them grinned when he stopped struggling. The other clan members seemed to enjoy rough-housing with him more than they should.

He coughed, licking his lips, “I’m still not sure what this is.” He eyed the two Oni beside him, “It’s not bad or anything, I’m just confused.”

“It’s a fruit juice/smoothie beverage made from the berries of a herb. It’s in season now,” explained Omega calmly.

“Well, okay then,” he took a sip, it kind of smelled like maple and bananas. Very breakfast-y.

“Elder,” began Koko, “I don’t quite remember, but what’s good for the young ones’ horn development?”

“Things with good amounts of calcium and cartilage, why?” Lloyd tried to ignore the heat reaching his ears. He brought the glass closer to cover his face which, no doubt, was revealing why in his blushing alone.

“Is Lloyd running a fever?” One asked pressing a hand to his forehead, only to feel the two nubs press back.

“Oh!”

Lloyd blushed deeper, taking a bite of the crab thing from off the roasted stick, which was also made from Oni magic.

“Lloyd is growing horns, Elder!” The hair on his arms, legs and back of neck stuck up. It was like he was growing his own little coat of fur too.

“Really, Lloyd is that true?”

“Yes, Great-grandfather.” He hung his head letting him be more able to touch it if he wanted to.

He did, “Ah. You’re a bit of a late bloomer, huh?”

“I think the smoke is doing it,” the hairs of his face rose, catching Omega’s curiosity, “It doesn’t hurt to breathe anymore.” He never bothered to tell them.

“Oh, that’s a relief,” said an Oni a few seats from him. All of them sat on silk cushions that were stuffed with feathers from something. He only knew that because he accidentally tore a pillow during one of the many weeks he had been there.

“Yeah, you had us scared for you.”

“I thought maybe being part dragon made you allergic, but you’re just as hardy as your grandfather.”

They all took turns petting his hair affectionately, some of the parents deciding to massage his growing horns too.

He was not used to all the petting, he just sat there overwhelmed as they stroked his too-fuzzy-too-be-human ears.

“Alright, leave him be, you can mess with him again during a public bath.”

“I’m not ready for that yet.” Being in a hot spring with a bunch of mostly strangers was just weird. And he didn’t want them to see his naked body. Unlike them, he can’t just shapeshift away his privates. Koko never entered the waters with him when she helped him use the soaps, but the Omega did join him on an occasion. Most of the Oni didn’t even wear clothes, only the pregnant and the ill did; they had fur they didn’t need any. He supposed that in their eyes, he was ill for a while due to the miasma.

He ran his nails over his arms back and forth.

“Do you have ticks again, Lloyd?” It still baffled him how they all cared about him in their own Oni ways.

“Ooh, I could get them out this time!”

“No, just itchy. I think I need another bath.” It had been a few days.

He could barely eat without them staring, he hid his newborn horns under his bangs thinking that was what was drawing their attention.

He pushed around the skin of his face, ‘Maybe I do have ticks again?’ He found himself thinking.

“Lloyd, are you done eating?” Koko poked his arm.

He swallowed before speaking, “I think so, why, what’s up?”

“Let’s go get you that bath now, Cousin.”

“Okay?” Anything to stop being the main attraction.

Taking off his clothes left him with a bit of a shock, there was fur all over his stomach the blond of his hair blended with the browns of his skin that he didn’t even notice it. He had a noticeable scruff around his neck, good for grabbing, it was also a trait that the Oni didn’t have, something draconic? He didn’t have scales, but skin cells were kind of like scales—if you squint.

“What? This isn’t fair, I’ll have to shave so much when I get home!”

“Before you can think about that, you can think about how you might not need to wear clothes anymore, isn’t that great? You’ll be able to have public baths with everyone!”

He scrubbed at the renewed hair follicles with the soap foam. She brushed his thin, short fur as it came in. He had so many ingrown hairs.

“This is so weird,” he was glad that she was with him in this chaotic journey. He was soothed by the hot water and familiar smells, although he normally ignored smells outside of eating.

“Would you like to sleep this out?”

“If I wake up looking like Bigfoot, you’ll tell me, right?”

“What’s Bigfoot?”

“Never mind.”

* * *

He tossed and turned is his cot, eventually throwing off his comforter, covered in sweat. He took off his shirt, that helped but he was still quite hot. He rolled up his pant sleeves before deciding to take off his pants too. Due to having only one set of clothes, he would occasionally wear the blanket like a robe or cloak while waiting for his clothes to be washed. With godly foresight, he hadn’t wanted to part with his clothes yet, but that didn’t make him any more prepared for the

Fluffy, flesh-toned and blond fur all over his body.

He sat on the cooler ground of the tent gazing at the white spiral patterns over his shoulders, knees and elbows.

He tried patting down the hairs as they stuck up at every passing noise.

“Lloyd, are you awake?” Koko clapped in front of the flaps, the closest thing she could do to knocking.

“Don’t come in here, I’m not decent.”

“Why don’t you just put on your blanket?”

“It’s hot.”

“Hot? Then you need to open the tent to let the miasma in.” There was always some in, from the bottom, the creases and through the tiny holes in the fabric.

“Fine,” he put the blanket on, “come in.”

The cool breeze was welcome, he let the blanket only cover his lower half.

“Oh, you look so Oni now!” He looked like a boy mixed with a sun bear.

“Please keep your voice down! I don’t want the others seeing me like this.”

“You’ve failed to hide anything from them thus far. Why keep caring now?”

“I don’t- it’s the principle and… my underwear doesn’t fit through the hair very well.”

“You know all of them don’t care.”

“I feel like a werewolf, this sucks.”

“I’m still telling Elder.” The Omega was her Grandfather, he had had a second child with another Oni who in turn had her. She was in the same generation as Lloyd’s father and Wu, she was their first cousin doubly, she shared around 3.125-6.25% of her DNA with him maybe more. In terms of genetics, that’s actually quite a lot.

“No, come on, please don’t,”

“He might have some gi trousers for you; it’s okay to ask for help, you know?”

“I don’t have to like it.”

“I forget how young you cubs are.”

‘Cub? Cub?!’ Bear terms? She’s using them to mess with him! He’s sure of it!

“I’m not a baby!”

“You’re not an adult either.”

“Shut up,” he pouted, “that doesn’t make me a baby. Tomorrow’s tea, got rid of that.”

“Tomorrow’s tea?”

“It aged up my body from an 8-year-old to like a 12/13-year-old,” he had no idea what age he had become, it was just _Vague Teen™._

“It’s a little hard to tell how old I am. I’m 15 now, I think. It’s been a couple years since it happened.”

“So, experience wise, you’re ten or eleven?”

“I- I guess so?” He did not like where this was headed.

“Were you ever planning on telling us? We could reverse it and then you’ll finally know how old you are!”

“If you have a calendar,” he chuckled trying to joke away his anxiety. He didn’t want to become a little kid again; it would only make him more vulnerable.

“Great! Let’s go,”

“Wait, I’m still not wearing anything!” He gripped the blanket tighter as she pulled him out by his arm.

“Even better!”

‘ _No, no, no, no_.’

* * *

“Magic aged him up, you say?”

“That’s right.”

“Hey, don’t I get in a say in this?”

“ _No_ ,” she said sweetly.

“I can try to isolate it, but no promises.” He pointed his staff at Lloyd as the purple fires in the room grew brighter.

Much to Lloyd’s dismay, he did succeed at taking it out, he promptly shrunk around a foot in height. All the Oni traits that appeared had not left him with his older form, bummer that.

“Put it back, put it back in, put it back in!” He cried in the higher pitched voice of a preteen.

“This explains so much.” He encased the blue magic in a glass* bottle.

“Koko, tell him to put it back in me,” if there was one thing he remembered about being a kid, it was that people listened to him less.

“You’ll get it back when we move locations.”

“When is that happening?”

Omega thought for a moment, “Maybe in a month.” He wilted, accepting Koko’s hand to hold.

“Why until then?”

“It will protect you as we travel, you don’t need it right now.” He huffed, just because he was his ancestor didn’t mean he knew what was best for him.

Something occurred to him, “Wait, now my clothes don’t fit at all!” Could he wear his shirt like a dress?

Omega laughed at his youthful display, Koko joining in after a moment. He was only a little younger than he felt when he was first hit with the tea; he wanted to stop changing and losing parts of himself.

“You guys are the worst.” Omega shared 12.5% of his DNA with Lloyd [Technically that number was closer to a third due to the shenanigans of FSM, which has been fucking up the numbers for everything thus far.] ⅛ of him was just that guy, it was probably closer to a quarter or more since his uncle and father were both made of the same components: Garmadon was more Oni than dragon and Wu was more dragon than Oni, but neither of them were human at all. It kind of freaks him out that only half of him is even human. He had been suppressing it since he found out, and now that he looked like how he did, he couldn’t hold it back any longer. He sniffled, tears soaking into the fluff of his face.

“Lloyd, what’s wrong?” Koko pondered, he was fine just a minute ago.

“Homesick?”

“I’m scared, I’ve been scared the whole time. I was trying to be tough about it, but I can’t keep it to myself now. I’m turning into something so different that what I was before, and it wouldn’t have started happening at all had you not taken me away. What’s my dad gonna think when he sees me at yet another age had never before. My uncle, my m- friends, the city? They’re going to be so freaked out unless I get one of those buzz razors and shave off every inch of hair that’s not on my head. I know I’m freaked out!”

“It’s okay, Lloyd, maybe you’ll be able to shapeshift it away?” Omega only hummed at that.

Another tribe member walked into the tent to see Lloyd, the fuzzball, looking younger than he was before, “Dude! Your coat grew in!” The shock of being picked up made him let go of his covering. He tried to move his arms to cover it up but he couldn’t see it.

“What?”

‘Where is-,’

“What happened? Why’s he so tiny, chief?” Technically all of the members of the clan were related to Omega, albeit distantly.

“He was infected with some magic that made him half a decade older than he was.”

* * *

Lloyd’s BorgPhone had a solar panel that gave it energy, but he’d have to leave the fog to charge it. The internal clock could theoretically have the time saved. If not, Omega could go back to Ninjago to get it synced. He paced in his tent, sometimes a stray distant cousin would pop their head in or introduce him to their kid, but they could see he was stressed out and left him alone.

He shook his head, grabbing his phone dashing off to outside of camp. He would’ve ventured out, but the last time he did that, he got covered in ticks, which hurt a lot to get off. And it was hot outside, too hot for him to cope with.

Koko entered the out of place tent with soup hoping to cheer him up, but he wasn’t there. Which was concerning, but not for too long. She found him sitting near where the miasma stops sitting in the grass with his now-oversized shirt tied around his waist. His phone was basking in the light as he stared blankly at his younger limbs.

“Hey, kiddo,”

“Hi, Koko,” he mumbled back.

“Are you feeling any better? I left you some soup at your tent, I can heat it up again if it went cold already?”

“I’m fine, Koko. I’m just trying to charge my phone. It’s hard to believe that this is what I look like now. What will everyone think of me?”

“Well,” she sat next to him on her shins, “if they are your friends, they shouldn’t care what you look like.”

“I know Zane and Cole will probably not care, but the humans? I don’t know, you know?”

He sat up and hugged his knees.

“I don’t want them to look at me differently.”

“You are different, but that’s not a bad thing, it’s just a you thing.”

Lloyd let out a mirthless chuckle, “You think if my uncle was in the mist too, he would get all fuzzy like I did?”

“He’s more dragon than Oni, perhaps it would take longer to work or maybe not at all. Omega believes you’re just as Oni as he is, so it really depends.”

“Do you think me being half human is causing all this, Oni are kind of like mammals, dragons are cold blooded and reptiles, it’s probably harder to use any of that DNA beyond ‘stronger bones and sharper teeth that regrow after you lose them.’”

“From what I can tell, your human half is the base and the Oni traits just bring out what had the potential to be there, mammals are covered in hair, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So are Oni, ergo it just makes that hair Oni hair. Dragons and Oni both have horns, so there was no avoiding that one.”

“Hm,” he poked one of the tiny orbs, not sure why it felt so much nicer when someone else touched it.

“Humans and Oni both have nails, so you got nails.”

He growled, “I get it.”

“Okay, you want something to eat?”

“Why do you keep offering me food?”

“You’re a growing boy, you need to eat and sleep more.” He glanced back at his phone: 60%, it would have to do.

“Fine.”

“Where had you two been?” Questioned an Oni.

“Lloyd was using the starlight to charge his metal brick.”

“Did he get ticks again?” He scratched at his ankle, he did step out into the sun for a second.

“I help get them out,” she was one of the mothers, she was used to her kids coming back with food with ticks and stickers all stuck in their fur. Koko said her name was Nya (but it was pronounced Nye-ah, he elected to just not bring that up).

The fog as he’d learn, acted like a pesticide, freezing all the bugs in place so they could sleep how and where they wanted to, it was also just a solid barrier to keep enemies from attacking them in their sleep or while otherwise vulnerable.

She ate the ticks as she plucked them.

“Why are there so many of those bugs?”

“They don’t have any predators around here besides those crabs. I don’t remember your voice sounding like this before, did you shapeshift?”

“No, Great- er,” Great-grandfather was a mouthful, “Elder took out some magic that was used on me when I was like 8.” Using the Oni’s terminology still felt awkward, did he really have the right to use it like an Oni would?

“He removed a curse?” At those words, Lloyd wondered if he could make Cole human again, if it weren’t for Zane and Pixal’s memory banks, he would’ve faded from his curse for sure. But the nindroids can’t forget, and Cyrus made him that robot body he could use when he was up for feeling stuff.

“I wouldn’t call it a curse,”

Koko told Nya, “It was kind of like a curse.”

“It’s good that it’s gone then, you’ve gotten a second chance at being a kid.”

“I don’t want to be this young,” he whined, feeling much how Cole did when he was turned into a kid.

“Where’s Lloyd Garmadon?” The Omega called out; he must’ve noticed he wasn’t in his tent.

“He’s with us!” The two women hollered back.

“What’s going on?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“Nothing, I simply returned from my trip to Ninjago. With your father in charge of it, grabbing things for you has become far easier.”

‘So Garmadon won then?’ It wasn’t a question, but it felt like one.

“I brought you some things from Ninjago.”

That got his attention, he followed him with Koko coming in tow.

“Of the things I procured, the spectacled man gave me this,” it was a Borg watch, “I also got you some clothes and a belt.” He brought him skorts and swim trunks.

He stared at the date displayed on the charged Borg Watch that was currently in airplane mode, “I’m eleven.” He whispered, his birthday had passed while he was with the Oni and he didn’t know it. Had he really been captured for over a month now?

“I’ve never been eleven before.” What strange knowledge to have.

“Oh?” Koko’s ear turned closer to him.

“I didn’t say anything! I’m just surprised I missed my birthday.I was here when it passed.” He touched his face, feeling the peach fuzziness of his cheeks which sported his baby fat again.

“I don’t feel like I’ve gotten older.”

Omega tousled his hair, “Of course. I’ve removed the magic from your body, how do you feel?”

“Um, okay, I guess, it’s a little disorienting being this short again. Wait, could you remove the magic from the mist-,”

“Miasma,” he corrected.

“-miasma from me too?”

“You think the miasma is changing your form?” He nodded slowly.

He turned to Koko, “Do you believe this as well?”

“Yes, but I think it’s closer to a plant finally growing because it’s in the right soil.”

“Lloyd, sit down here, I need to check.”

He mumbled, “Yes, sir,” as he rested his weight on his shins.

His staff began to glow as it searched him, then it stopped.

“Koko’s assessment is correct: the miasma is not cursing you. This is how you were always supposed to look.”

 _‘Always_?’

He fell backwards in denial, “What?! No! I’ve gone so long not looking-,” the hairs hovered about an inch over his skin.

“-can you remove it?”

“There’s nothing to remove, the change in diet and atmosphere has been integrated into your being.” That sent shivers down his spine.

“But, my dad’s not all furry?”

“He has not been in the proper environment neither, nor has he partaken in the proper diet.”

“Then I just won’t ea-,” Omega knocked him on the head lightly with the jewel pommel, “-Ow!”

‘What was that for?!’

“We are not having a repeat of your first week. Understand?”

* * *

_Day 3 began much like Day 2, waking up in a meadow of lilac grass with some child Oni using his chest as a pillow. It would be pretty hard to sleep in the cold if all the kids weren’t lumped together like penguins; he was 90% sure his head was resting against someone’s leg. The adults took guard shifts whereas the kids slept the whole 10 hours. It was yet another ritual that he was forced to partake in, they used magic on him to keep him from waking up during the ‘night.’ As a ninja, he couldn’t recall the last time he got even 7 hours of sleep._

_His stomach growled, it was getting harder and harder to focus as the days went on. At least there was plenty of water to drink. He was rather parched from all the filter feeding he was doing. He staggered to where the water was kept, knowing he couldn’t avoid the food forever. His body drooled thinking about how close breakfast was, he wiped his lip with a hand once he drank from a translucent amethyst bowl. He had to be strong, he couldn’t eat Oni food, he wasn’t_ that _Oni._

_His ear twitched in the direction of a voice by the food storage area, most of the food was eaten as it was harvested but they kept some food in crates, “(Which foods do you think we should start him off with?)”_

_“(Something he isn’t repulsed by?)”_

_“(A vegetable or fruit?)”_

_“(We might have to force him to eat.)”_

_“(Ooh, I call dibs on doing that!)”_

_“(You would, Kay.)”_

_“(Shut it, Kane!)” Those two were siblings if that wasn’t obvious._

_He tip-toed away with his bowl, not sure where to put it now that he’s used it._

_“(Where is he anyway, he’s not with the other kids?)”_

_“(I sense the same number of Oni here; he hasn’t left.)” The fact he had an Oni signature that they could pick up was a damning detail about how Oni he was. He was already aware of it before he was kidnapped but hadn’t had enough time to come to an opinion on it then, he did now, and it made him uncomfortable to be so comparable. The Omega might’ve been right about him, and_ that _scared him._

 _What was he? Where was he?_ How _was he? ‘Hungry,’ of the questions he asked himself, that was one he could answer with ease instead of feeling that pit of dread in his stomach. He shivered, without any food, he was having trouble keeping warm. But he was strong, he wasn’t going to succumb!_

_“Hey,” he let out an undignified yelp, “(sorry, to scare you but it’s time for morning meal.)”_

_The Oni noticed the bowl in his hand, “(Oh, I see you’ve already got a plate. Are you going to eat today?)”_

_He winced, “(I shouldn’t.)”_

_“(Nonsense, of course you should.)”_

_“(What if I’m allergic?)”_

_“(Then, we’ll find something else for you to eat, or Elder will harvest something from Ninjago for you.)”_

_“(Elder?)”_

_“(The Omega.)”_

_‘Oh,_ him _. I should’ve guessed.’ He groaned prompting his stomach to growl in solidarity._

_“(I don’t know what you’re so worried about, you’re Oni like us.)”_

_The chill from the smog gave him goosebumps, there was rarely a moment when he didn’t have them, “(My friends should’ve come to rescue me by now, I don’t want to get used to living here, I just want to go home!)_

_“(Home,)” The Oni repeated, mulling something over, “(You’d feel more at home if you were around a close relative, right?)”_

_“Um, (depends,)” his father was a ‘close relative’ but being around him was_ complicated _._

_“(Elder as another direct descendant, the Psi, she lives around here somewhere.)”_

_“(The Psi?)”_

_“(She’s next in line for leading the clan if something were to happen to Elder.)”_

_The information clicked in his brain, “Direct descendant!? You mean she’s related to my grandfather?”_

_“(Your grandfather would’ve been her uncle, if he was still living.)”_

_“That’s-_ wow _. Is she also part dragon?”_

_“(No, no, her mother was half-siblings with the first spinjitzu master. That’s all I know on that subject, if you want to know more you should probably ask the Psi, herself, but you might not want to call her by her title to her face.)”_

_“Why not?” Would that be disrespectful for an outsider like himself to call her that?_

_“(She’s not one for formalities. She has many duties as the Psi, but I’m sure she’s caught wind of you by now. If nothing else, she knows there’s one more Oni in the tribe.)”_

_He grit out, “I’m not O-,”_

_“(You breathe our air, bathe in our springs, sleep with our young, drink our water, and speak our tongue, yet you think yourself not Oni? You are the_ Chi _! And- you know what- you’re going to eat our food and you’re going to like it!)”_

 _“I’m only_ part _Oni, can’t we go back to talking about the Psi, can’t I meet her now?”_

_They grasped the white shirt he wore, making him still in shock, “(You can meet her at **morning meal**!)”_

_Upon being hoisted up by the undershirt of his gi, his limbs dangled limply like logs. He almost dropped his bowl. He was so hungry, he hibernated through part of the day yesterday, he wasn’t sure if he could do that again._

_“(I brought a straggler to morning meal!)” They declared plopping him down on a cushion._

_“(Zay, you can’t keep doing that with the kids.)”_

_“(Oh, hey, that’s the newbie Elder brought back,) Lloyd, (correct?)”_

_He murmured in a daze, “(That’s right.)”_

_“(Hold your hands out, kiddo, you have to clean your hands before you eat.)” He wasn’t planning on actually eating, but he’d humor them. A dark purple glow wrapped around his hands like a flame licking at his fingers._

_“It’s warm,” he closed his eyes, it was nice. It felt like one of those hand driers at the mall, almost akin to the feeling of warm water in a shower._

_“(I’m telling you, we got nothing to worry about. If the **fire** didn’t hurt him, doubt our food will.)”_

_His eyes snapped open similar to how one would if they were fighting off sleep, ‘Fire?!’_

_“I’ve seen that fire before, it was in an old Oni temple in Ninjago,”_

_“(Can’t you produce it?)”_

_“Uh, any fires I make are green.”_

_They just hummed in, ‘We don’t know how to proceed with that knowledge.’ Zay continued to have the fire go up his arms, what was burning: bacteria?_

_Lloyd studied the attendants for the only ‘familiar’ face, where was-, “Where’s the Omega?”_

_“You’re clean,” said Zay shutting off the heat like a tap._

_The woman he’d soon know as Koko grunted, “He’s in Ninjago, normally I’d join him in his trips, but he wanted me to ‘look after a certain unknown’ in his absence.”_

_“Are you the Psi?”_

_She bark-laughed, “Who told you to call me that? Just call me Koko, but since we’re cousins, you can call me ‘Cousin’ too, Chi.”_

_“I don’t even know what that means, but don’t call me that.”_

_“I won’t call you that, if you won’t call me Psi.”_

_“Deal.”_

_“I can’t believe it took me three whole days to meet you, but I’ll make up for it, I’ll give you the tour.”_

_“I’m not going to be staying here, my friends are going to show up any second now.”_

_“And how will they do that?”_

_“Dragon(s)?”_

_“Elder has probably told them that you’re safe here by now; they have no agency to bring you back.”_

_“They wouldn’t just give up-,”_

_“Is it really giving up if they could never start a rescue attempt?”_

_“You can’t keep distancing yourself from us, Cuz.” A smell entered the open air when she cut the strange fruit(?) with a knife that she just manifested into being. It was like fruity loops blended with the mixed berry tea his father would brew back at his monastery. The way she passed the slices out like they were pieces of pie pulled him away from his thoughts for a moment: oh no, he was a social eater. His survival instinct gnawed at his hands as they shook hesitantly between staying where they were and grabbing his plate- bowl.  
His breath hitched, hot tears came before he was even aware of it._

_“Hey, it’s okay, you’ll get a slice- two- three, even.”_

_His heart ached, he missed his father- his_ real _father so badly. He thought he got over it but then_ **someone** _brought a bootlegged version of him back from the grave. He tried to be strong about how uncomfortable that whole thing made him, maybe deep down, that new Garmadon knew he wasn’t the original, he was always telling him not to get sentimental, and here he was crying in front of a bunch of demons- were they demons- because he still yearned for that one brief stable period when he had both of his parents in his life, not as zombies or randos who popped back into his life long after he had forgotten them._

_‘Get a grip, Lloyd,’ he told himself, wiping his tears with the inward side of his wrist._

_“You must be so famished from your fasting.”_

_“Maybe,” he sniffed, “I just miss Ninjago.” His instincts told him that Koko would let him lean on her shoulder, he assumed it was just wishful thinking._

_“So are you going to eat today?” He stared blankly into the congealed innards of the pie-type slice._

_“What is it exactly?”_

_Kane huffed, “(He’s dodging the question!)”_

_“(He’d feel better if he ate,)” commented a slightly pudgy Oni._

_“We call it Blue Berry.”_

_“Well, I’m not calling that,” it was a fitting name in its own right._

_Kay sneered, “(I can’t watch this anymore!)” Ey grabbed a slice with eir clean hands and shoved it firmly into Lloyd’s mouth whilst he was distracted._

_He choked on the unfamiliar food that was being registered on his lips and tongue. Perhaps it was the hunger or his tendency to stress eat, but he felt it slide down his gullet._

_“I swallowed it,” he felt dread at the realization, but when nothing happened, he let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding._

_“Do you feel fine?”_

_He slumped, “Yes,” with a tone that indicated that he felt like he was in trouble for not trying to eat earlier. He overreacted, but he had at least some modicum of a right to be._

_“(That’s good, that means he can eat more of it.)”_

_“Misoki!”_

_“(We didn’t breed these crops for nothing, he needs his nutrition.)”_

_“(True, but that doesn’t mean you should say it,)” said Kane._

_“(Child, eat more! Until you’re full!)”_

_He despite himself, laughed, it was likely the first time he smiled since he got there. He could take some comfort knowing he wasn’t at risk of starving to death. He grabbed a spork and ate another two slices before he forced himself to stop. Even if he was kidnapped, he couldn’t just shirk his ninja regimen._

_He ran a few laps around the camp, did a couple dozen push-ups, curl-ups, other drills, and some pull-ups on the fences, made sure to hydrate and stretch._

_He was doing some katas when a kid walked up to him, “(Sorry about my brother,) Kay.”_

_Kane shrugged, “Ey gets like that sometimes. Ey gets it from our Gramma. Whatcha doing?”_

_“Training, I’m a trained ninja and elemental master, when the others come, I need to be in fighting shape.”_

_“Then why were you starving yourself?”_

_“I shouldn’t be eating with the enemy!”_

_“You think we’re the enemy?” Kane said sounding a tad hurt._

_“ **Uh** , yes?! Your _leader _kidnapped me while in the process of invading my realm.”_

_“That’s not a very respectful way to talk about your great-grandpa, my great-grandma is your half cousin, my mom told me.”_

_“Why are you telling me this?”_

_“We’re family no matter how distantly related we are. All the adults, I can tell they just want to help you._ Food _for thought, Chi.”_

* * *

“Understood.” The grass was drier than it had been when he was first taken, everyone slept on quilts if they weren’t on a mattress.

“Good.”

“Psi?” She rolled her eyes in acknowledgment.

“Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid again.” He couldn’t even argue with that, he kicked at the grass.

' _Chaperones_ ,' he mulled bitterly.


	2. & Out with the Bathwater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lloyd learns things, Cole leads a coup, Chamille is h̪̣̭͓͈ͪ̍̇͒ͥ̽̚͢ere!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 
>       ~~OH MY GOSH ITS MIDNIGHT IVE BEEN WRITING FOR 10 HOURS STRAIGHT!~~
>     
> 
> Hm, this story needs more characters from the show...  
>  _*Chamille existing*_
> 
> **I͈̤͋ͧ͗t͓͕͔͔̑͒ͦ'͙̞̺̺̙s̡̭ͮ ͕̱͔̦͍̊̑f̼ͮ̔̔̐͛r̲͇̖̙̺̪ͧ͂͊̏eͥ̋͊̃̉̽̉ê̍̿҉͇̺̩ ͙͉͓̊̋͆̈́̚r̵̤̟̰̩͓̖͚̾̇̃̉e͙̟̝̳̱̠͋ͧ͡ͅa̤͂̒̂̏̒̄l̸͓̮͒ͪ͑͛̅͆̚ ̨̱̭̭̓e͇̼͓̳͇̗̤͋͗̈́s̤̲̟͋t̟͙͕̎ͦ̒ͦ͊͠à͔̇t̖̱e͆̇̋͆.̧̮̰͋ͭ̀̐** *squeaky toy sound* 

_When the second week came and went, Lloyd wasn’t super sure how many days were passing, but he was sure his canines grew again- it was like when someone moves your furniture slightly to the right- he wasn’t imagining it. His phone had died long ago, and he was so bored that he willing to do anything to pass the time. He sat in on the lessons given to the Oni children, a lot of it composed of teaching them how to make constructs with their magic. Despite being called masters of destruction, they sure did_ make _a lot of things. They chiseled illustrations and writing into the perimeter walls._

_Curious, Lloyd attempted to focus on the ice-like properties of his powers to try and make something too. The green light blinded him, reflecting off his eyes giving his pupils a flashing effect, that wasn’t new, he had that at Darkley’s, “demon eyes,” Gene called it. The creation he made was jagged and had no design to it. His powers weren’t just Oni powers with a green paint job, were they?_

_His actions caught the eye of the teacher, Jane, she was from outside the clan, her horns faced the opposite direction, and the white lines normally seen on the cheeks was on her chin giving her a nutcracker-esque appearance. Her cheek swirls face the same direction instead of being pointed at the other. Her hair was curly and had a lot of volume to it and instead of lavender, it was periwinkle._

_“What are you doing, Lloyd?”_

_“Um, trying something out?”_

_Her eyes fell to the green ~~ice~~ glass-like object in his hands, if the Oni’s made amethyst like things, then his were demantoid like (or green amethyst, but that’s lame), “You made a construct?”_

_“I’ve never done it before, but I tried to do what you were teaching about. I just normally never use_ ice _.” Should it even be called ice, it wasn’t frozen water?_

_“Can you de-summon it?” The confused expression on his face was an excuse to explain further, “Try to imagine it as part of you that you’re reabsorbing into your body, like spittle or pulling in your tongue.”_

_He blinked at her a few times as his eyes fully readjusted, “I don’t think I can.”_

_“It’s okay, not everyone is connected to their constructs. That just means you can make stuff without having to maintain them. That’s good, we need more Oni with that so we can have bowls, sporks, the walls and bedframes.”_

_He contemplated that as his eyes darted back and forth from his nails to the abomination in his palm, “You think I could make a fork or something someday?”_

_“Sure, you just need to practice. You let it take the form it wanted to take, you have to guide it into something you want.”_

_“Guide it?”_

_“Yes, all kids start out with trying to make as small of a structure as they can and building on to it.” Like legos in a way._

_He closed his eyes and focused on making it small, like the size of a fingernail. The shape it became was vaguely hexagonal and had spikes in every direction. He had no idea how to smooth it out._

_“You’re doing good. If you can be in sync with anyone, you might be able to meld your magic together and make something. That’s how the walls were made, it’s too big for one person to manage it.”_

_“That sounds kinda cool,” he admitted. She gestured for him to give her what he had made so far, she melted them with her violet fires._

_“You should come back for more lessons, Lloyd.”_

_“I’ll think about it, I’ve never really made anything like this before.”_

_“I can’t spend time with you every day, I have other students who need it, but if you keep coming, I’ll have more time to teach you.”_

* * *

“Good _afternoon_? Miss Jane,” he waved to her awkwardly. Koko was holding his other hand.

“Lloyd? You’re so small?” He supposed she saw the fuzz during morning meal.

“Is that okay? Elder just took some-,”

“He only looked that way before because he was cursed.”

“Really?” Lloyd tuned the rest of that conversation out, slipping his hand out of the Psi’s.

He saw a kid with curly hair and a cowlick that looked like a clover staring at him, he sat in a chair as he practiced making pebbles. He learned how to smooth it out mostly, but it led to the objects he made to be stretched like taffy. The most complex object he could make was a soup ladle.

When his horns finally grew in, as far as they would at his age, he had _almost_ made a sphere. He grinned, ‘Progress!’ _The ninja were going to be so impressed!_

He wondered, did it bounce? He dropped it on his desk-table, it did not bounce any more than a rock would.

“If you want it to bounce, you gotta hollow it out, Chi.” Some of the Oni called him that when they couldn’t remember how to say his name.

He mouthed, ‘Hollow it?’ How in the world could he do that?

“My mom taught me how to do it, oh, sorry, my name’s Kunai,” the kid blushed, e always forgot.

‘That kid has a sick-ass name.’

“Hello, Kunai, I’m Lloyd, I know I look a little different now.”

“Yeah, you look awesome, Chi!”

“Wh-what?”

“You’re like an (albino) Oni! (So cool!)” The kid was too young to have any facial markings, through that charcoal fur, e was almost human es horns were even smaller than his, which were only two inches tall. Lloyd noticed distantly that he lacked the spirals on his shoulders, and only had them on his knees.

“I’ve never seen anyone with a peach coat, ( _so cool)_!” The white beads on es bracelets clinked when e clapped es hands together.

“I’ve seen a lot of different Oni clans, but none of them had peach fur! _Or blond hair!”_ Lloyd winced at the volume.

“Kunai, settle down.”

“Sorry, Momma.”

“It’s okay, sweetie, just remember not to get too loud. The other students are trying to concentrate.”

E whispered back, “Oh, right, sorry.”

“Don’t mind, Kunai,” she told Lloyd, “That kid is just extroverted.”

Lloyd chuckled, “Don’t worry about that, _Jay_ is one of my friends.”

* * *

Lloyd snuck into Omega’s chambers while Koko was working, he made some make-shift tongs to grab that brilliant azure magic. Someone cleared their throat from behind him.

“Oh, hey,” he hid the tongs behind his back and pushed his fire into them, melting them into nothingness.

“Lloyd, I had my suspicions about that curse,” he stared at the boy’s horns, before walking over and holding a ruler to them.

“Since your horns are in, I need you to see something,”

“Yeah?”

He leaned down and showed him the ruler, “One’s horns show how old they are- like tree rings.”

“Okay, so what?”

“I think you don’t mature at human’s pace.”

“Of course I do-,”

“Oni and human growth patterns start similarly, but the adolescence and teen years is longer. Perhaps the curse did increase your age by 5 years at first, as that was what was left until you hit the next stage in life.” He pointed to the almost lantern with his staff, “You returning to that state will show us how the curse affects you, now that your horns can tell us.”

He was going to become a teen again? He stood where Omega was pointing eagerly.

Becoming 16 again, he thought it would’ve felt more satisfying, but it just felt like something was holding his chest. Maybe Omega was right, _again_.

Omega handed him a mirror before moving to measure his left horn, which had grown to match his body’s new age.

“26,” he stated after a moment.

“26?!” He didn’t feel 26?

“This magic will only make you older over time as the discrepancies between stages of life increase. I was wrong to consider returning this to you, it’s toxic. A poison.”

Lloyd frowned in defeat, “A curse.”

“Exactly, I have to remove this and destroy it. Who knows how this has been impacting your physical and mental development?” Lloyd sat down as Omega pulled the dark magic out and proceeded to burn it away with his fire. His head felt better now that it wasn’t lopsided from the uneven horns.

“That’s it, huh? I’m just going to go through puberty for real in a year or two.”

“Or more. Everyone grows at their own pace.” He didn’t like that.

“Is being part dragon slowing this down too?”

“Probably.”

“This is the _pits_!” He wiped his eyes trying to keep himself from breaking down.

Omega patted his back, adjusting his position to let Lloyd sit on his lap, “I know.” That tone made the dam break. Lloyd sniffled, hugging his great-granddad.

He blubbered, “Everyone’s gonna outgrow me but Zane, Pix and Cole!” This must’ve been how Cole felt when Yang told him he was immortal.

“It will be alright. You’re free to return to us once they pass.”

He leaned deeper into his chest, speaking between breaths, “I might.” Omega smiled and stroked the boy’s hair down to his back in repetition.

“Wait, you’re going to take me back?”

“Yes, in 11 months, just about,” he resumed the petting.

‘That was so long.’ That was just more time lost without his friends. What if something happens to them while he was away? He didn’t want to be alone again.

Lloyd fell asleep with tears in his eyes.

* * *

Omega was still there when he woke up, gently brushing him. He felt-

He felt loved in that moment. He sighed, content for the moment, his shoulders sagged as he relaxed.

“Awake again, Lloyd?”

“Yeah,”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Mhm,” he yawned.

“Let’s get you some food, you slept through lunch.”

“Okay.”

Misoki was taking stock when the pair arrived, she straightened her back “Elder, what can I do for you?”

“Lloyd took a nap and missed lunch, give him a serving.”

“Yessir,” she winked.

Lloyd yawned again, showing off his larger fangs, then self-consciously covered his mouth.

“You got a nice pair of chompers, sport. I can see where the dragon went.”

She handed him a plate and spork, “Dig in.”

“Omega, would you like something too?”

“No, I’m fine, Phi.”

‘…hypocrite?’ Lloyd thought with a hand on his chin. He scooped a bit up and brought it o his mouth.

“Feel free to go to your evening lessons,” he gave him back the BorgWatch. Omega had input the daily schedule in the calendar for the next month, that must’ve been what he was doing while Lloyd was snoozing.

* * *

“Today, we’ll be going over something most of us are familiar with, but we have a new permanent student to the roster, the Chi.” Nya taught this class.

He walked up the board and wrote his name in Ninjargon, which was just Ōnish as he found out, “You can call me Lloyd, if you want. I don’t really know what the Chi even-,”

“That’s what we’re going over today, have a seat.” He sat on an open cushion near Kunai and Kay.

“What does _the Omega_ mean? Simply, the **last**. The last of the oldest clan of Oni one that existed long before time had a name. To keep tract of linages, the Omega has assigned titles such as the Psi or the Phi to denote how close they are to the Omega.”

She looked at Lloyd, “Lloyd here is the Chi, the second in line for leader. Most of everyone is related to the Chi, the Psi and the Omega. Omega had many children, the Psi’s mother was born after the great tear between the Dragon and Oni. The Phi descends from one of the Omega’s first children, the Phi title applies to every adult in that line, unlike the Psi who is the only surviving member of that line and the Chi which is inapplicable to the other members of that branch. All three are potential heads for our tribe if something were to happen to our great ancestor.”

“Chi isn’t an adult though,”

“Yes, unfortunately we assumed that he was or close enough to it, but he was just cursed,”

“So is he better now?”

Eyes turned back to his hands and horns, he stiffened, “I’m not cursed anymore, it was burnt up by Elder.”

“It’s fine if you want to call him Great-grandfather.”

“It’s weird for you to be so impersonal, you might be leading us in a millennia.”

‘Oh, don’t tell me that!’

“You _stressed_ him out, Darrel!”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t tell me that, tell him.”

“Sorry, Chi.”

“Uh, it’s fine.”

“I’m glad you’re not cursed anymore.”

“Me too, but it was a bit of a shock just how much older it made me,” but he was glad to be cured of it, he couldn’t imagine finally having an adult body only for it to instantly turn a thousand years older. Wait, yes he could; he just did!

Nya tried to get everyone’s focus back on the lecture, but it devolved into everyone asking Lloyd about what it was like to be cursed.

“It was fine, I guess, it made me have to fight my father sooner, though.”

“We’re you close?”

He couldn’t stop the sad smile from forming, “He escaped the Underworld with my uncle just to save me from the Serpentine.”

“He sounds nice.”

“Yeah, he still cared about me even when that venom was making him evil. There was this prophesy that forced us to fight.”

“That sounds like another curse.”

“Uh-huh.”

“(Maybe we can talk our parents into attacking Cloud Kingdom sometime?)”

“(I’m down for that.)”

“(Justice for the Chi!)” After that, they started chanting it.

“Guys, calm down, it already happened.”

“Justice for the Chi!”

“ _Okay_ , children. You all clearly have a lot of energy, it’s time for a recess.” They cheered.

Man, it had been so long since Lloyd was in school, he wondered how Gene and Brad were doing. Was everyone okay?

* * *

* * *

* * *

“Cole, do you have a plan?” Asked Chamille. Her, Shade, ~~Paleman~~ Ash and Lou watched the ghost as he paced back in forth in his old home. His steps would occasionally become light as he walked on the air like it was flight of stairs.

“I have a plan, but I’m not sure if it’ll work. Thanks for coming, guys, I need all the help I can get. I owe ya big time.”

“What’s the plan,” breathed Shade.

“We can stop all of this, if I can,” he swallowed, “possess Garmadon and call off his allies or even break ties with them. I need to get close enough to possess him, so I need Chamille to shapeshift into an Oni, I know from Morro, that I can’t possess her or else her power will stop, so I follow from behind, invisible, and possess the nearest Oni. Can you do non-humans?” One problem with this plan.

“Maybe,” her skin shimmered purple with diluted Oni magic, she looked like herself but Oni… _almost_ as if she was.

Cole laughed with glee, “They don’t call you the master of form for nothing!”

She preened from the compliment, it took no energy to maintain it, “Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all night.”

“Okay. Ash, I need you to teleport around as a distraction or to get the key and before/when I break them out, to create a smoke screen for us to flee in.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Shade, you’re on recon, you watch the for the Oni’s patrol patterns, and when you see an opening for us to sneak in contact us via text.”

“Dad?”

“What is it, Son?” Cole brought him in for a hug, knowing he’ll only get so many, “I’ll be back later, love you.” Lou hugged him back, “Be safe.”

“I will.”

“I know you’re pals with Sensei Yang, but-,”

“I know, it could be raining over there.”

“Let’s roll, people!”

* * *

Shade shot them a text, that the Oni seemed to break at 6:30 a.m. 4 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. If they showed up during a break period with, like, a latte, they might be able to blend in.

Chamille waltzed up as nonchalantly as she could. Luckily Cole didn’t need to breathe or even step on the ground, he floated behind her invisibly as the guard Oni walked up to them. Ash was with them in _spirit_.

“Who are you?”

“Camo,” it had been her name when she thought she was a boy.

The guard’s eyes focused on the latte, “Are you actually going to drink that stuff?”

She shrugged, “I wanted to try it.”

“What clan are you, I don’t recognize your patterns,” her eyes focused on her horns, “You’re awfully young to be going to other realms.”

A lightbulb appeared over the Oni’s head, “Hey, I _do_ recognize your patterns, but (Second Clan) was long thought to be extinct, are you really of Delta?” She stepped closer sniffing, “You don’t smell like any clan I’ve met, but you certainly smell Oni. Are you lost, kid?”

Cole watched in awe, ‘ _Wow, Chamille’s power is incredible_!’

“I was looking for a dude named Garmadon.”

“This would be the place. Why do you need to see that locked box?”

“I was just curious, I heard he conquered Ninjago. This place gets attacked a lot, surprised someone managed to do it.”

“He had help, but between me and you, he didn’t want to conquer Ninjago when we showed up, he joined us for the credit. Omega says he did it for the sprout, but he definitely did get all the credit.”

“You can say that again.” They continued to chat while Cole and Ash snuck in, possessing one grunt and failing miserably at controlling the new body. He had never possessed anyone before!

“(Dude, are you okay?)” Asked a concerned Oni, he possessed them. He switched from host to host, starting to get a little exhausted. He might have to go back to Yang’s after all, good thing he can fast travel. He imagined himself trying to do a cannon ball at a pool, suppressing a chuckle.

He made it to the cell, causing the Ninja to jerk upright in alarm. Cole winked at them as the lava shot up through his arms and he punched the lock off the cage.

‘Ash, you’re up.’

“Cole? Is that you, friend?” Asked his fellow immortal, Zane.

“In the flesh!” Jay groaned, Cole always chose the worst times to make puns.

A smokescreen covered everything, Cole told Zane how he got in and Zane guided the Ninja out as Cole continued to Garmadon.

Chamille saw the smoke cloud the air and several ninja fleeing the scene, looked like her job was done after she tripped the social guard as she tried to pursue those idiots.

“Oops, sorry.”

“It’s okay, you wanna come back with me to the base, I’m Mistook, by the way.”

“Uh sure,”

‘Gotta keep, that cover. Besides she was nice enough.’

Cole tried to enter Garmadon, but he couldn’t.

“Oh, the ghost, you won’t succeed at stopping me. Even if you did possess me, it wouldn’t stop the Oni from doing what they want with this world. You think getting rid of me will stop them from draining this realm dry?”

“What?”

“Go home, ghost.” He splashed his water cup on him sending him back to a familiar temple.

* * *

Yang sipped from a cup of special ghost tea, listening to Cole tell his tale, “So he probably expected you come at some point, ergo he had water ready?”

“Yeah, I guess I should’ve gone in a waterproof bag or something.” Thunder boomed from outside, as rain fell on that part of Ninjago.

“You look tired.”

“I tried possession today, like a dozen times.”

“My beds are always open for you to replenish your preserves.” The spectral energy there spiked at night and morning, it was like a charging cable for a nindroid.

“I know,” having two dads with one being a ghost, wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

“Goodnight,” he started walking off to his room.

Yang hollered, his voice echoing with reverb, “I was watching the news, your friends escaped the Oni.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” The word ‘goodness’ echoed after he said it. He hadn’t meant to but he was _feeling_ it, so it happened.

* * *

* * *

* * *

“Mistook, who’s that with you?” Koko didn’t recognize the Oni as one of the troops deployed. Mistook was already mated, so who-?

“This is Camo-,”

Lloyd recognized her when she entered the camp, “Chamille?!” It was nice to see a familiar face.

“Lloyd?! You haven’t aged a day! Did- did you get younger?”

“Long story.”

“But isn’t your name-?”

“Camo is my deadname,” post-that, all questions about her name ceased.

“Ah,” Mistook living up to her name.

Mistook was tackled by Kunai, “Dad’s back, Dad’s back, Dad’s back!” [A she/her man, if you don’t like it, you’re free to fight me in a U-Haul truck moving 100mph]

“How’s my champ, doing?”

“Great! I met the Chi today!”

She glanced at Lloyd studying Chamille, “Yes, you did.”

“Chamille, how are you-?”

“How am I what?”

“ _In the miasma_? Aren’t you human?”

“I’d say ‘aren’t you,’ but guess not.”

‘Did he get bitten by a weregoat?’

“Only Oni can breathe in it, or people descended from Oni,” he added hastily.

“I am the _Master of Form,”_ she gloated, “I probably just made a really good disguise.” She dropped her illusion and she was still fine.

“Lloyd, you’re freaking out over nothing.”

Mistook told Koko, “(The girl’s Oni, alright. I think she’s from Second Clan but I’m not sure.)”

Kunai followed Mistook to a military rations crates [AKA where they keep the good granola bars] as they walked off. Happy to be out of the way of the incoming madness.  
  


Omega arrived on the scene when he sensed a new Oni in the camp, “You may let down your disguise.”

Chamille, in hindsight, probably shouldn’t’ve shapeshifted into a shapeshifter, it just raises more questions, “This isn’t a disguise?”

“Don’t be coy, we’re all Oni here.”

If they wanted to see her wicked Oni illusion, then so be it.

Omega noticed the lack of fur, “Have you been a Lone for long?”

‘Alone for long? What?’

“I don’t- huh?”

“Clan-less,” clarified Koko.

“Lloyd, your friends are weird. I’m going back to Ninjago. **Wait** , I just remembered– dangit,” she groaned, “I forgot you were _kidnapped_! Let’s get out of here before you turn into a goat.” She reached for his scruff because she owned cats and therefore saw them do that.

“Geez, kid, you’re kinda heavy.”

“He’s not turning into a goat.”

“Then why’s he look like that?”

‘ _Rude_ ,’ but also a valid question.

“He’s half human.”

“You say that as if it explains everything.”

“I’m not a geneticist!”

Her eyes turned to Lloyd’s to say, ‘Run, now’s your chance,’ as if the portal wasn’t already closed.

“I’m probably more human than Lloyd is, if I humor your Oni idea for a second, why wouldn’t my form look like his then?”

“You are a shapeshifter, who says this is your true form?”

“Not me,” she laughed, a line of purple flames flitted over her body, “this one is mine.”

Omega chortled at the blatant use of Oni magic, he sobered, ‘Had she been orphaned?’ He supposed the only way to know if it was was if she got the adequate nutrition to start growing a coat, but it took Lloyd a month for it happen.

Chamille finally took note of the portal being closed and decided to eat the food since Lloyd was eating it and he wasn’t dead. Or maybe he was, aren’t Oni demons? She scrutinized the environment with eyes that shouldn’t be able to do that, this place was a bit too peaceful to be hell.

“You aren’t in hell,” Koko told her with a dead tone in her voice.

“How did you-?”

“She can read minds,” Lloyd told her. Koko’s version on mindreading looked like Pictionary on her end, nouns get translated into images and verbs and adjectives get stacked onto the base photo. Like all trained Oni, she can sense the emotions of people and put those two things together and vola! She reads minds.

“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”

“You’re Oni.” Stated Lloyd watching her with worry.

“You’re displaced from your clan.”

“No duh, my parents live in Ninjago.” She crossed her arms, ‘ _Chilly_.’

“And you’re sure, they’re your parents?”

“Yes, that’s how being an Elemental Master works! I mean, I haven’t seen my dad since I was a toddler, but he’s who I get my element from.”

“I see.”

* * *

And that’s story of how Chamille joined the ranks, one bonk later, Lloyd let her have his cot. He was willing to sleep with the other kids again. But if he woke up with _another_ **foot in his mouth** , he was going to punch something. Lloyd would’ve let her have his blanket, but, _uuuuh_ , ~~yeah~~ , **no**.

'Nuh-uh, never!'

The kids, themselves, were quite defensive of him after that whole “Justice for the Chi,” thing and let have the best spot in the dog pile. It was really just like sleeping with 14 giant teddy bears, if those bears had _bones_. Elbows, man, elbows.

* * *

“So that wasn’t a dream,” Chamille sat up in the cerulean cot, having reverted back to her human default before going to sleep, the lilac meadow reminded her of her own hair her hair was a pinkish-indigo shade of purple, whereas the grass was a pale mauve.

She poked her head out of the tent, Lloyd seemed to be cozy as he dozed on atop that large quilt. He really didn’t look any older than he did at the Tournament of Elements, but neither did she, honestly. She _did_ grow a few inches since then, which creates an illusion of aging. She wondered if that ‘Oni form’ of hers was even how she looked, she made that disguise whilst trying to simulate the Oni. Did she even have one? She would have to try to drop everything and dip her toes into the negative bounds of her power. _Does she even want to know if she does?_ She opted to save that for another time as all the children ominously woke up in sync, only a few minutes apart from the others.

When Lloyd stirred into the waking world, he and the other children started doing morning stretching exercises, how bizarre.

She straightened her back, she needed something to do, she strode out the tent and kept walking.

Reaching the edges of the smog, she couldn’t help but observe a strange property it had: it was like a barrier stopping all outside light from getting in. No matter how she looked at what was beyond the fog, it was always obscured in shadow, like there was an umbrella over everything. But the second she exited the smoke, she gasped, as if her lungs were finally registering that she hadn’t been breathing air this whole time. She hacked and coughed, what in the blazes was happening to her?

The air was thick with spores and growing thinner in oxygen. The spores stuck to the roof of her mouth like peanut butter, she gagged. Crawling back into the darkness, like a bat leaving the cave before sunset.

It almost felt like her body had gone into withdrawal, instinctively she could tell something was very wrong. Now that she was exposed to whatever was in there, her body wanted more of it- _needed_ more. She inched closer to the veil, lukewarm flames of her elemental power surged over her in waves, without changing her form: glittering, glistening violet light. She remembered this feeling, it was just like this when she unlocked her True Potential™, but this was different, the energy was being converted into something else. It reminded her of how Lloyd’s element protected him from Emperor Garmadon on the TV, it had coated him and activated unconsciously every time he was hit or hurt. Was she hurt? If she isn’t as Oni as those Oni want, will she die from being here? Whatever elemental magic that allowed her ancestors to retain the element of Form would exist independently from how biologically Oni she actually was; it’s not like Zane was any percentage ice dragon. Even if there was a way to awaken it or whatever, would she even want it? They should just leave her in Ninjago if she can’t live amongst them– she might be able to smuggle Lloyd out at the same time. She was doubtful of that lasting very long, (how can one hide from dimension hopping beings?) but she had to try _something_. She didn’t know what their plans with Lloyd was-

> “Lloyd, slow down while you eat, you’re going to choke.”
> 
> “Oh, sorry.”

-but she was fairly certain _something_ was afoot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit short, but it was all in the sake of answering questions. Don't expect such a quick update next time though, I have _school._

**Author's Note:**

> Comment if you like it. It's the only way I know people are reading these fics o' mine.


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